The Future of Print

According to Ronnie Davis, chief economist for PIA/GATF, we haven’t quite slowed down to that point yet but we’re close. Industry projections currently point to a 2.5 percent Compound Annual Growth Rate in 2006, and an optimistic 3 percent in 2007. We seem to be losing about 800 printing plants and 20,000 workers each year. The average size shop now has 27 employees as compared with 10 or fewer in years past. The good news is that Davis projects the need for 60,000 new employees each year due to attrition, changing technologies and skill sets. It seems only the strong will survive. This includes in-plants.